Birds of a Feather
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Disappointed in her friend's recent actions, Nina decides to confront Wormwood and set him straight on a few things. (OC Nina from "Captivated" and "Raven Haven." Story requested by Mr. Shortman92)


Birds of a Feather

Summary: Disappointed in her friend's recent actions, Nina decides to confront Wormwood and set him straight on a few things. (OC Nina from "Captivated" and "Raven Haven." Story requested by Mr. Shortman92)

Disclaimer: I only own Nina!

A/N: I'm surprised how many people actually enjoyed Nina! Lol. I've even had messages asking me about her and if we'll see her again. Well, now, if you were one of those people, you get your wish. 😉 I'd originally had this story on my "On Hold" list, but I think I figured out a way to work around it. Just for the record, as you'll see in the story, this is during the current time of the show where Wormwood is supposedly working for Prisma. Nina happens to run/fly into him, and…well, you'll see. Enjoy!

PS: The open ending is intentional, because the story (the show) is not yet complete. 😊 You probably won't see Nina from me again for quite some time (if you do), but just know that she'll be just fine, no matter what happens. She's a strong raven with a good heart, after all. 😉 Off we go!

*Story*

Wormwood was _not_ in the best of moods today. It had been months since he'd seen Cedric or anyone else from Enchancia, but that wasn't what had gotten to him. Today, Prisma's ridiculous little 'sidekick' or whatever he was, Twitch, was being even more tiresome than usual. Not to mention, he'd gone out of his way to steal Prisma's attention, thereby setting their ultimate goals on hold yet again.

"If we're going to continue this way, I might as well have stayed with Cedric," the bird grumbled as he soared through the air, the feeling of the wind through his feathers rather pleasant and very much welcomed. A scowl formed on his features as he scoffed. "No way. Never again. We may have been paired up at Hexley Hall, and we may have schemed together over the years, but thanks to that pesky princess, he's no longer the same…" Granted, he couldn't blame Sofia for everything. He'd seen a change in Cedric for a long time… Through the influence of his father and the family wand, his niece Calista and his sister Cordelia (ironically enough), his more prominent and positive interactions with James and Amber and even the other students of Royal Prep, the fairies, and so many others, he was thriving. So many people now respected him, which was all he'd ever wanted. He didn't _have_ any need for the Amulet of Avalor or the Enchancian throne anymore. He had the love and attention from those who mattered most. "Hmph, overrated. Who needs _love_ and _affection_ when you can have _power_ and _freedom_?"

With Cedric, his goal had been simple yet frantic: steal Sofia's amulet and take over the kingdom to show that he was the greatest sorcerer in the world. The problem? Well, there were a few, actually. Sofia was the number one problem. Not only did she refuse to take off the amulet, but she also _liked_ Cedric and befriended him. Not used to being accepted as he was and praised for his profession, the interaction had taken his former master aback. Little by little, the young princess had chipped away at his rough exterior and uncovered the mushy, gushy _human_ side of Cedric that Wormwood was well aware had been there all along. He'd never been meant for evil, and the raven knew this _very_ well… But still, he'd had hopes.

The next problem was Cedric's general plans. Again, Cedric was bad at being…well, bad. His plots were so overly stereotypical and predictable that a toddler could have executed much the same thing, in Wormwood's opinion. The few times he'd come close to actually succeeding in the goal were the whole mermaid comb incident, where his transformation into a wicked sea creature had somehow altered his capability to have that usual sympathetic nature, and next was that one _brief_ moment when he'd followed through with plans carried out by the Order of the Wand, and he'd actually literally gotten to the point of taking over the kingdom. Again, Sofia had intervened and used her friendship and love to stop him. It was one thing to have _plans_ ; it was another to actually be good at carrying them out. And Cedric was _not_ good at that…mostly.

The final problem was that it was painfully obvious to Wormwood that Cedric didn't actually _care_ about taking over the kingdom. Despite his big talk and endless scheming, he could always tell that deep down, he didn't want to do what he'd always bragged to Wormwood that he would do. He didn't want to disappoint his father. He didn't want to break Sofia's heart. He didn't want to get captured and imprisoned. Oh, wait. That's exactly what happened, right? He clearly had a reason to be reluctant with his pursuits.

Oh, but enough about Cedric. Those times were gone. He now had no intention to overtake anything these days. Why should he? Things had worked out well for him, from what he'd gathered.

"Lucky him," Wormwood muttered bitterly as he landed on a branch in a tree overlooking the village of Dunwiddie. He growled softly. "Now why did I even come _here_?" It was almost as if he were drawn to the village—it was within walking (or flying) distance of the castle, after all. Not that he had any intention of going to said castle, of course. There was still a mission that he was to be part of, regardless of the temporary hiatus. Prisma was focused on stealing all of the Wicked Nine, and so far, she only had one. It couldn't be _that_ hard to collect villainous artifacts, right? …You'd be surprised, friends. You'd be surprised.

"Mr. Wormwood?!"

Oh, no… He knew that voice. Wormwood had just enough time to turn briefly when he was suddenly tackled to the tree branch, his wings spread haphazardly and a new slew of feathers blocking his vision. "Ugh… Nina?"

Nina, a young raven whom he'd sort of 'befriended' quite some time ago, giggled before hopping up, allowing the older raven to do the same. She'd clearly gotten older these last several months. She wasn't as tiny and uncertain as she once was. She had a bit of an adventurous and bold way about her, which made him rather proud—not that he would _ever_ admit it. After all, he couldn't have anyone teasing him about caring for the little raven. That simply wouldn't do.

"I haven't seen you in forever," Nina complained, giving her friend an imploring look, one that seemed to indicate that she knew more than she was letting on. "Where have you been? When I last saw Princess Sofia, she said you and Mr. Cedric were no longer speaking." The female raven tilted her head. "What's going on, Mr. Wormwood?"

"None of your business," he snapped, the annoyance he'd been trying to hold at bay finally bursting forth. "Good grief, you certainly are a nosy little raven, aren't you? What I choose to do with my life is none of _your_ business."

"But—"

"And for the record," he continued, ignoring her protest, "the princess was right. Cedric and I are _not_ speaking anymore, because I'm sick and tired of someone saying he's going to do something and never following through. I'm tired of being disappointed. I'm tired of being around the aggravatingly sugary environment that the little pesky princess has created. I'm a loner for a reason, Nina." He stretched his wings as if preparing to take flight.

"Stop right there," Nina ordered, a harsh tone overtaking her normally calm and sweet voice. She frowned as she noted the surprised expression on the other raven's face. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but whatever it is, you need to get over yourself."

"Excuse me-?"

"I'm talking," she snapped, stepping forward on the branch and cornering Wormwood against the bark of the tree. "Shut up and listen." She gestured vaguely with her wings. "You're tired of disappointment and things not happening the way you want them. That's called _life_ , Mr. Wormwood. It happens to all of us." She frowned at him. "Is it true that you've teamed up with a bad person now? Someone with access to dark magic?"

"Why is this any of your concern?" he shot back, eyeing her curiously. How did she even _know_ about that?

"Gee, I don't know. I thought that's what you _do_ for your friends. Or are you going to say that we're not friends now? Are you going to forget me as quickly as you've forgotten Mr. Cedric?"

Wormwood scoffed as he stepped forward once, glaring down at the younger raven. "I don't have to listen to this. You're still young, Nina. You shouldn't make assumptions about something you don't even know. Why don't you fly back to your nest and continue living in your little perfect world? Pretend—make believe that everything is going to be 'all right' again. Be every bit as useless as any _dreamer_ is—"

"I may be useless," she hissed with a dark scowl in his direction, surprising him yet intriguing him as well, "but at least I'm loyal. Isn't that a key trait they say ravens are supposed to have? Loyalty? Loyal birds don't just fly off when things get tough or don't go their way. Birds of a feather flock together, or so I'm told."

"I'm not a 'flocking' type of raven, my dear." He narrowed his green eyes in her direction, peering into her icy blue ones. "This is a lesson you're going to have to learn. I hope you're listening quite well." He smirked at her baffled expression. "I'm not a nice raven. I look out for myself, because in the end, at least I know that _I_ did what _I_ could to take care of myself. I don't need others looking after me or lecturing me about 'loyalty.' Especially not a little idealistic raven like yourself."

Nina was hurt by those words, but she refused to let it show. She was a raven, after all—the mysterious and sometimes cold birds of the earth. While she was all heart and possessed a warm personality, she had the ability to hide it with her natural mask. "One of these days, you're going to look around, and you'll have nothing to look _for_. As much as you _think_ you dislike others holding you accountable for your actions, you're going to wish you had that later."

He blinked at her. Since when did little Nina speak so…eloquently? Had she really grown up _that_ much in the last several months? Had he somehow missed…it…?

"Find me when you learn how to show some compassion, Mr. Wormwood." Before she could fly off, she found that a talon was now covering hers. Wormwood was looking at her quietly. She blinked once.

"Nina… I make no promises. I won't ever be the 'wholesome' raven you want me to be. It's not in my character."

"Then just be Mr. Wormwood. You can be gloomy, sarcastic, and even mean—but don't be hopeless, and don't give up. Because _I'm_ not giving up on _you_." With nothing more to say, she flew off.

Wormwood was flabbergasted. He'd not expected _that_ outcome… Nothing was resolved. Nothing was promised. But…she had hope for him? He felt a small smile tugging at his beak before her heard a loud, clumsy screech behind him. He turned and scoffed as he saw Twitch tumbling toward him in his hawk disguise. "What do _you_ want?"

"Prisma needs us," he announced breathlessly. "She has new information on some of the Wicked Nine. Come on!" He took off again in the opposite direction.

Sighing heavily, the raven glanced toward the Enchancian castle in the distance and then in the direction where the younger raven had flown. "Sorry, Nina, but I'm not giving up my goals just yet…" With that he flew in the same direction Twitch had.

Nina sighed sadly from her spot in another tree as she watched her friend take off again. " _I'll_ always see the good in you, Mr. Wormwood… I just wish you could see it in yourself." She whirled around and flew off in the opposite direction.

The end


End file.
